IN THIS ISSUE

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, Pathwayers -

I was in Philadelphia yesterday for meetings with our friends at U.S. Soccer and then attended the U.S. Women’s National team match against Spain - a fun, come-from-behind 2-2 draw (shout out Ashley Sanchez and Mal Swanson!).

And, because U.S. Soccer is hosting its Beyond the 90 Summit today in Philly, the match was a who’s who of the soccer industry - MLS Commissioner Don Garber, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, USSF CEO JT Batson were all on hand alongside dozens of influential leaders working in the sport.

These gatherings are always like mini family reunions - and it’s always so good to see others who have also been working to grow the game for 10, 15, 20 years, both to celebrate how far we’ve come but also to look ahead to where we’re going.

The feeling last night was consistent: While we’ve come a looooong way (did you see this report?), there’s so much growth still to come.

Soccer ain’t slowing down in the good ol’ United States of America, that’s for sure - and there’s a lot of excitement about what next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil will do for the continued growth of the women’s game.

In sum: It’s still a very, very good time to find your place in the soccer industry.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

NEW SOCCER JOBS

Some fun ones on our list today:

As CEO of Name & Number, we get asked all the time - how do we reach soccer fans?

Most people understand the massive opportunity to connect with soccer fans in America as the sport continues to grow.

The hard part starts with the next question.

Which soccer fans do you want to reach?

There simply isn't one American soccer fan. Heck, there aren’t even ten types of soccer fans. There are lots (and lots) of different ones.

One fan supports their local MLS club.

Another wakes up early every Saturday for a Premier League team.

Another has followed a Liga MX club their whole life, the way their parents did.

And plenty of them follow several teams across different leagues and countries at once.

The traditional sports audiences in America typically gather in one place.

Soccer's doesn't.

That makes it one of the most complicated audiences in sports to understand, and one of the most rewarding once you do.

After more than 20 years working in soccer, I've seen how different these audiences can be.

What gets an MLS season ticket holder excited can fall completely flat with a lifelong Liga MX supporter.

A Premier League fan who's up at 7 AM every Saturday relates to the sport in a whole different way than a parent who found soccer through their kid's youth club.

The people who understand those differences are some of the most valuable people in the industry.

Get specific.

When you talk about the audience, in an interview, a pitch, or a meeting, name the fan you mean.

"Young Premier League fans in big cities."

"Mexican-American families who follow Liga MX."

"Parents in the youth soccer world."

Being that specific shows you've thought about who's on the other end.

And you have to dig into the data. Check out these resources to start:

Every fan community has its own habits, traditions, and reasons for caring.

Ask yourself:

You learn this by spending time where those fans spend theirs.

A lot of American fans follow more than one team.

Someone might support Seattle in MLS, Arsenal in the Premier League, and the USMNT every summer.

Understanding how those loyalties stack up, and which one comes first, is the kind of insight clubs and brands are looking for.

You don't have to be an expert on every fan base.

Pick one or two you genuinely connect with and know them better than anyone else in the room.

Deep knowledge of one community beats surface-level knowledge of all of them.

For everything else, don’t assume you know. When you know you don’t know, find someone who does.

At Name & Number, we have a creative strategist focused specifically on women’s soccer. When we need to speak to Hispanic audiences, we often bring in contractors who are bilingual and bicultural. They know the culture because they live it.

Knowing who to bring into the room is part of knowing the audience.

Clubs, leagues, and brands all want to reach soccer fans.

What they really need are people who can tell them which fans to reach and how.

👉 This week, pick one fan community you don't know well. Watch a match where they watch, read what they read, and follow the people they follow. Then write down three things that make them different from the fans you already know.

That's how you become the person in the room who knows the audience.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

ICYMI: MUST-READ ARTICLES

📰 Extra! Extra! Lots of fun articles to dig into this week, soccer friends.

ALSO…

FOLLOW ALONG

SEE YOU SOON, SOCCER FRIENDS